Bealeton gang enforcer gets 30-year prison sentence

William Sykes, a/k/a “Black,” 29, of Bealeton, Va., was sentenced to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender. Thaddaeus Snow, a/k/a “Storm,” 34, of Manassas, Va - the gang leader - was sentenced today to 40 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender, according to a release from the United States Department of Justice.

Both men were convicted earlier this year by a federal jury of charges that included conspiracy to commit racketeering, violence in aid of racketeering, robbery, conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force and coercion and multiple firearms offenses.

Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler, Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

“These defendants and their fellow gang members threatened the safety of our communities by committing acts of violence, dealing drugs, and dehumanizing women through prostitution by force and coercion,” said U.S. Attorney Boente. “I want to commend our federal, state and local law enforcement partners for their commitment to dismantling this dangerous gang and combatting these pernicious crimes.”

“The sentences handed down today send a clear message to members of these violent criminal enterprises: we will not tolerate your illegal activities,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “The FBI, through the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force and our partners in local law enforcement, will continue to systematically target, investigate and prosecute gang members who use violence to threaten our communities.”

Snow and Sykes were indicted by a federal grand jury on Sept. 26, 2013, along with twenty-two other members and associates of the Nine Trey Gangsters street gang, on charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering, violence in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine and multiple counts related to the possession and use of firearms.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, the Nine Trey Gangsters are a Bloods street gang set of the United Blood Nation, which was founded in New York City in the early 1970’s. Thaddaeus Snow led a “line-up” of the Nine Trey Gangsters that operated as a criminal enterprise in Virginia and committed criminal activity in multiple states. From 2008 until the date of the indictment, Snow’s line-ups of Nine Trey gangsters engaged in racketeering activity involving the sex trafficking of women using force and coercion in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, New York and elsewhere; the commission of robberies; and the distribution of cocaine, crack, marijuana, heroin, ecstasy and prescription painkillers. The evidence at trial also showed that Snow, Sykes and other Nine Trey Gangsters dealt in counterfeit U.S. currency and used counterfeit currency to finance wholesale drug purchases.

In addition, the evidence at trial showed that Snow and his subordinate gang members undertook several acts of violence. On or about April 1, 2010, Snow directed Nine Trey Gangsters to give a female victim a “buck-fifty,” consisting of slashing the woman’s face with a knife from mouth to ear with the aim of requiring 150 stiches to close the wound, because the woman had stolen proceeds of Snow’s drug sales and used some of Snow’s drug supply. The slashing was carried out by Sykes. Sykes and other gang members beat a man unconscious who may have stolen drugs from a gang member, and Sykes also committed a shooting on April 12, 2010, after the shooting victims became involved in a dispute with one of the gang members. Additionally, Sykes slapped and choked a prostitute when she concealed money she earned from him.

Snow and Sykes were convicted following a trial that began on Feb. 11, 2014. All twenty-four individuals named in the Sept. 26, 2013 indictment have been convicted, bringing to 37 the total number of Nine Trey Gangsters members and associates who have been convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia since 2013.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Fairfax County Police Department, with assistance from the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force, Hampton Police Department, Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, Manassas City Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam B. Schwartz and Dennis M. Fitzpatrick prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

This case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation dubbed Operation “Ruby Red,” which has been focusing on the illegal distribution of narcotics by alleged organized crime members.